Untitled
by Iamafanoftoomanythingstoname
Summary: What if Boromir had been more violent in his attempt to take the Ring, and Frodo was not wearing his mithril coat?


1**A/N: This story is based on a dream I had once, where at the end of **_**The Fellowship of the Ring**_**, Boromir gets extra violent in his attempt to take the Ring from Frodo. Of course, Frodo would be wearing his mithril coat, but he isn't in this AU. Dialogue in italics is taken directly from **_**The Fellowship of the Ring**_** movie directed by Peter Jackson.**

"_I ask only for the strength to defend my people!"_ Boromir threw down the firewood he had been carrying in frustration. Why would the Halfling not see reason? 'Destroying the Ring could not truly be the only way,' he thought. 'It would be madness for anyone to destroy such a weapon when it could be used to bring us victory!'_ "If you would but lend me the Ring-"_

"_No,"_ said Frodo, starting to back away.

"_Why do you recoil? I am no thief."_

"_You are not yourself."_ Frodo could see the madness growing in Boromir's eyes.

"_What chance do you think you have? They will find you, and will take the Ring. And you will beg for death before the end!" _Boromir yelled, but Frodo turned and walked away, knowing that he would not be able to get the man to listen. Determined to get his hands on the Ring, Boromir began to chase Frodo.

"_Fool! It is not yours save but for unhappy chance! It could've been mine; it should be mine! Give it to me!"_

"_No!"_ Boromir wrestled to take the Ring by force, but the hobbit's grip on it was stronger than the man thought possible. An irrational and violent fury completely overtook his mind, prompting him to strike Frodo across the face, hard. As Frodo was too stunned for the moment to struggle, Boromir roughly slammed him against the nearest tree and drew his sword. The poor hobbit barely had any time to react before, to his absolute horror, the sword was thrust not into his heart, but his left shoulder- the one that had already been pierced by the Morgul blade at Weathertop.

Frodo let out an agonizing scream as he relived that night of October 6th. He could hear the wraith screech in his mind, and he felt cold all over, besides his shoulder, which was burning like fire. It was worse than death.

Boromir, still unaffected by what he had done because of the Ring's call, took it and disappeared, leaving Frodo with the sword still embedded in his shoulder. He was hardly aware of the approaching footsteps of the rest of the Fellowship. They all skidded to a halt, horrified at the sight before them.

Without thinking, Aragorn rushed to Frodo's side. The hobbit's chest was heaving in panic.

"Please- I don't have the Ring!" After Boromir's betrayal, how was he to know if the Ring had gotten to Aragorn as well? At that moment, the face of the good Ranger was replaced by a black hood. Frodo's mind whirled, his heart beating faster in a fresh wave of terror. Would this Black Rider merely twist the sword to cause him more torment?

In reality, Aragorn was only gently reaching out in an attempt to calm him. Distraught by this opposite reaction, he realized that he needed to be more mindful of any movements he made. The others stood back, knowing that the last thing poor Frodo needed was people crowding him. Ordinarily, Sam would be right beside his master, but the idea that he could unintentionally upset him held him back. Pippin buried his face in Merry's shoulder.

Aragorn spoke in a low voice to Frodo. "It's alright. Do not be afraid- I won't hurt you." Frodo squeezed his eyes shut, and a few tears trickled down. Aragorn eyed the growing bloodstain. "I'm going to have to pull it out. Ready?" The hobbit gave a slight nod. After carefully pulling the sword out, Aragorn caught Frodo and laid him on the ground. Sam brought over some _althelas_ leaves and handed them to Aragorn, who set to work on cleaning and bandaging the wound. Sam felt so sorry for his master, thinking about how much he has already suffered, and there was still so far to go. At the same time, his respect for Frodo continued to grow as he still hasn't given up despite everything.

Once Frodo had calmed down enough, he sat up and said, "I'm sorry, everyone, but I've lost the Ring; Boromir took it. I couldn't stop him."

"Boromir did this to you?" Merry asked, not entirely surprised. Boromir had seemed especially drawn to the Ring. '_It had to have poisoned his mind,'_ Merry thought. _'There's no way he would harm any of us otherwise.' _

"What are we going to do now?" Pippin asked, a slight tremble in his voice.

"We must catch up with Boromir," said Legolas.

"At least we have a good idea of where he's heading," said Gimli. "He must be taking the Ring to Gondor!"

Aragorn nodded. "We have no time to lose. Can you walk, Frodo?"

Frodo winced as he stood up. "I think so." He had no wish to be carried, despite the shooting pains in his shoulder. Sam eyed him with concern, but said nothing. More than the physical pain, he was worried about the long-term effect that Boromir's violent attack might have on Frodo. As were the others. Merry, Pippin, and Sam stayed close to Frodo, making sure he wasn't in the back of the group as they moved along.

Frodo felt himself growing more and more nervous the longer he was without the Ring. He liked to think that it was only because he was concerned about completing the quest, but he knew that the Ring had a draw on him. He wished now more than ever that he was home in the Shire and none of this had ever happened.

Aragorn knew that it would be best if they could catch up to Boromir before he showed the Ring to anyone, so he tried to keep the pace as fast as possible. Though he wished he could have given Frodo more time to recover, they could not afford any more delay. All he could do was look back periodically to see how the dark-haired hobbit was managing. After traveling for a few miles, Aragorn was thinking about stopping to rest for a little while when he noticed someone up ahead, leaning against a tree. Aragorn signaled for the others to stop. Legolas, with his extra keen eyesight, confirmed everyone else's suspicions.

"Boromir." They needed to act quickly, but they also needed a plan. There were seven of them and only one of him, but having the Ring gave him the advantage.

"How are we supposed to get the Ring away from him?" Pippin asked. It would certainly be no easy feat, but Aragorn didn't want to think it was impossible. The use of force could prove disastrous; would it be possible to reason with Boromir?

"There must be some way to get through to him," said Merry. As Aragorn looked at the worried faces of the hobbits, he got an idea.

"I know Boromir is a good man, and he does care for the four of you. We've got to break him out of his focus on the Ring, and get him to see what he's done to you, Frodo." Frodo nodded, clutching at his wound. Aragorn instructed Merry and Pippin to approach Boromir and talk to him. The man looked up from his treasure in surprise when he heard the two hobbits calling.

"Boromir! Where are you going?" Merry asked once they reached him.

"Merry, Pippin! Where are the others?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is this a trap? The Ring is mine, I say!" he shouted, moving his right hand towards his sword-hilt.

"It's no trap, Boromir. We just don't understand- why did you hurt Frodo? How could you? We thought you were our friend!" said Pippin, tears filling his eyes. Boromir was unmoved, for the Ring's lies still had a hold on him.

"I had to! Don't you see? He would take the Ring to Sauron and betray us all!"

"That's not true… you must know that in your heart," said Merry. He remembered to steer clear of mentioning that the Ring needed to be destroyed, at least for the time being, lest the man only become angrier. "Frodo is not treacherous. Besides, what reason could he possibly have to give the enemy's Ring back to him? Certainly not for his own benefit!"

That gave Boromir pause, and he realized Merry was right as he thought about what he had learned about Frodo Baggins' character since the Council of Elrond. He was a gentle soul with noble intentions, willing to take up a perilous quest even after he had nearly suffered a fate worse than—

It suddenly struck Boromir, what he had done. Then, Aragorn came out of hiding and walked up beside Merry and Pippin, carrying Frodo in his arms. A terrible guilt washed over Boromir. The hobbit was so pale, and a bloodstained bandage covered his left shoulder, the one that had already been pierced by a Morgul blade.

"Oh, Frodo, I am so sorry! I have betrayed you in such a terrible way." He clasped Frodo's hand, pressing the Ring into it. Frodo smiled gently, his blue eyes pained, but warm.

"I forgive you, Boromir. The Ring is treacherous... and it has really been pulling on you. I know you are a friend." Boromir was at a loss for words for a few moments.

"If there is ever anything I can do for you-"

"Don't worry about it."

The man looked over to the other hobbits, then Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli; he found not one unforgiving face.

"Well, I suppose we should start back on the road to Mordor... if indeed that is what the Ringbearer decides."

All eyes were on Frodo. He had been thinking about going on his own before Boromir attacked him, but he wasn't going to bother suggesting that to everyone, as they would never agree to that. Instead, he agreed that they would go east; while in the meantime, he was going to try to work out how to separate from the Fellowship and go alone, before any of the others got corrupted or lost their lives trying to aid him.

'_I am sorry, my dear friends,' _Frodo thought, a cold sense of dread filling his heart,_'but I must go to Mordor alone.'_


End file.
